Today's Capitals don't know a world without Nicklas Backstrom. They'll get a first taste of it on Thursday when they play host to the Islanders. Everything to know.

WASHINGTON — Today's Washington Capitals don't know a world without Nicklas Backstrom. They'll get a first taste of it on Thursday when they play host to the New York Islanders.

Backstrom stunned his teammates on Wednesday when he took the floor before practice and told them in the locker room that he would be stepping away from the game of hockey. Though he's not retiring at this time, he did say that his hip has not responded the way he has hoped and right now, he cannot continue on physically.

"I was in shock," Alex Ovechkin said, adding, "He's my friend, he's my teammate and to see how emotional it is, it's a tough situation.

"I think for him, he was trying to bounce back. He did surgery and I felt like he was feeling good. But for me, as a player, I understand when you have something sore and you don't feel 100 percent, it's almost impossible to play... right now, it's going to suck."

With Backstrom out, the lineup not only looks different, but there were some tweaks made to the leadership group as the team looks to fill Backstrom's void — or at least try to. And that starts with looking to keep the win streak going against New York.

"You're not going to fill those shoes. We need guys to step up and lead in whatever way they're able to lead. It doesn't have to be an old guy, it doesn't have to be a guy that's been in the league six or seven years, it can be a young guy that leads by example by coming to the rink every day and doing his job and then on the ice, leading by example by knowing his assignments and doing them correctly and doing them hard," T.J. Oshie said, adding, "It's going to take everyone leadership-wise to try to make up by not having 19 in there."

Here's everything to know before puck drop.

Washington Capitals Lines

With Backstrom no longer with the team, Washington has a new third-line center, as Connor McMichael will play in his natural position after starting the season on the wing. Hendrix Lapierre also remains in the mix, with Nic Dowd still on the injured reserve.

Here are the projected lines for Thursday's tilt:

Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson

Sonny Milano-Evgeny Kuznetsov-T.J. Oshie

Anthony Mantha-Connor McMichael-Matthew Phillips

Beck Malenstyn-Hendrix Lapierre-Aliaksei Protas

Martin Fehervary-John Carlson

Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk

Hardy Häman Aktell-Nick Jensen

Darcy Kuemper

Charlie Lindgren

Darcy Kuemper is expected to start in net. Charlie Lindgren, who dealt with some injuries to open the season, is healthy and backing up.

Washington Capitals Keys To Success

On Sunday's win over the San Jose Sharks, the Capitals overcame a slow start to pile on three goals in the third and emerge victorious. Two of those goals were 5-on-5, and one was an empty-netter. While Washington did have three power-play opportunities, it was at even strength that the team finally did the most damage after dominating in special teams the previous two games.

Keeping that success going at 5-on-5 will be vital again, and it will also be important to remain disciplined. The Capitals didn't take any penalties against the Sharks, which was highly beneficial en route to the win, and staying collected against the Islanders can be a huge difference-maker too boot.

Washington Capitals Players To Watch

- Dylan Strome has six goals in his last five games and leads his team in that category.

- Alex Ovechkin has points in six straight outings.

- McMichael has points in two of his last three games and will be looking to make the most of his opportunity while playing in Backstrom's spot.

- Tom Wilson hit 300 career points on Sunday and has points in four straight, including goals in back-to-back games.

- Evgeny Kuznetsov is starting to pick things up and is on a three-game point streak, with a goal and four points over that span.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.